Bill Bright (1921 – 2003)

Who Was He?

William R. Bright was born on 19 October 1921 in Coweta, Oklahoma, the sixth of seven children of a cattle-ranching family. Until eighth grade he attended school in a one-room schoolhouse. After distinguished academic achievement at Northeastern State University, he moved to California and built a successful confections business. He was introduced to the Gospel through the ministry of Henrietta Mears at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, and in 1945 surrendered his life completely to Christ.

While studying at Princeton and Fuller theological seminaries, Bright felt an overwhelming call from God. He and his wife Vonette signed what they called a “slave contract” — literally a written surrender of all their rights and ambitions to Jesus — and in 1951 launched Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Within months, hundreds of students at UCLA had given their lives to Christ, including the student body president, the campus newspaper editor, and several athletes. By the end of the 1950s, Campus Crusade had spread to dozens of campuses. The ministry grew to become one of the largest Christian organisations in the world, with 26,000 staff and 225,000 volunteers in 191 countries.

In 1952, Bright wrote The Four Spiritual Laws — a simple gospel presentation that has been distributed to over 2.5 billion people. In 1979, he produced the Jesus film, which by his death had been translated into over 1,400 languages and viewed by more than five billion people. In 1996 he received the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion — worth $1.1 million — and donated the entire sum to promote prayer and fasting. Bill Bright died on 19 July 2003.

A Great Answer to Prayer The campus breakthrough at UCLA in 1951 was the seed from which everything else in Bright's ministry grew. It was entirely the product of prayer. When Bright launched Campus Crusade with a handful of volunteers, there was no precedent for this kind of student ministry and no guarantee of success. He and Vonette prayed earnestly before every meeting, every conversation, every outreach.

Within months, the student body president of UCLA, the campus newspaper editor, and several top athletes had committed their lives to Christ. The transformation of these high-profile students sent shockwaves through the campus. Word spread. The movement grew. Within a decade it had become a national and then international force.

But the greatest answered prayer in Bright's life was the Jesus film. It took years of prayer, fund- raising by faith, theological preparation, and logistical work to produce. When it was released in 1979, it was initially shown in just a few countries. Bright prayed that it would reach the world.

Over the following decades, God answered that prayer far beyond what Bright could have imagined: the film has now been seen by more than five billion people in over 200 countries, and hundreds of millions of people have prayed the prayer of salvation after watching it. It is the most watched film in human history.

Key Scriptures Matthew 28:19 – 20 — “Go therefore and make discip les of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Acts 1:8 — “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1 John 5:14 – 15 — “This is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”

His Words on Prayer “Show me a church or a Christian organisation that emphasises prayer, and I'll show you a ministry where people are excited about Jesus Christ and are witnessing for Hi m.”

“I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world.”

“Fasting with a pure heart and mo tives brings personal revival and adds power to our prayers. Personal revival occurs because fasting is an act of humility.”

“Fasting and prayer can bring about a change in the direction of our nation, the nations of the earth, and the fulfilment of the G reat Commission.”

“Not only do you have the ear of the greatest Person in the universe, but as you kneel in your place of prayer, you have the privilege of being used of God to help change the lives of individuals and nations.”

Prayer and the Word of God “His promise is that He will always answer when we pray according to His will: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14–15). Lay hold of this promise and pray accordingly.”

“Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfil the requirements of 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven.””

Prayer and the Holy Spirit “Fasting reduces the power of self so that the Holy Spirit can do a more intense work within us.”

“We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith alone. Pray: “Dear Father, I need You. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith.””

“Through fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can transform your life. Fasting and prayer can effect change on a much grander scale when God's people seek His face with broken and repentant hearts.”